CME Structure and Configurations

These sections explain the primary concepts of CME configuration.

CME Directories and Files

About CME Service Commands

After a successful installation, CME runs the 'cme' service.

Function

Run this Command

Stop the service

service cme stop

Start the service

service cme start

Restart the service

service cme restart

Test the service

service cme test

Get the status of the service

service cme status

Locating the Configuration Files

CME's primary configuration file is autoprovision.json, and CME maintains backup files for it:

  • autoprovision.json.bak - when there is a configuration change.

  • autoprovision.json.bak_schema - when CME schema version is updated - See Schema section.

To find the CME configuration files, use one of these directories:

The configuration files are synchronized between the primary and secondary servers in a Management High Availability environment.

The CME Logs

The CME log files are:

  • Primary CME Service log: /var/log/CPcme/cme.log*

  • CME command line menu log: /var/log/CPcme/cme_menu.log

More logs used by Check Point Support:

  • rest_infra.log

  • cme_api.log

  • gunicorn_server.log

  • diagnostics.log

See CME Log Collector.

CME Authentication

This section describes the necessary steps for CME authentication with different public cloud platforms.

AWS

Refer to sk130372 > 3. Creating an AWS IAM User and IAM Role section.

AWS Controller (account) connects to these URLs:

  • https://ec2.<region_code>.amazonaws.com

  • https://elasticloadbalancing.<region_code>.amazonaws.com

For example https://ec2.ap-northeast-2.amazonaws.com/

Azure

Create a Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) and Service Principal

With the Microsoft Entra ID and Service Principal, the Check Point Security Management ServerClosed Check Point Single-Domain Security Management Server or a Multi-Domain Security Management Server. monitors the creation and status of the VMSS, so it can complete the provision of these Security Gateways.

  1. Connect to portal.azure.com.

  2. Click Microsoft Entra ID.

  3. Click +Add > App registration. The Register an application screen opens

  4. Create new registration:

    1. Select a meaningful Name.

    2. Supported account types - Select Accounts in this organizational directory only (Single tenant).

    3. Redirect URL - Select Web, and type https://localhost/vmss-name - instead of vmss-name. It can be any name.

    4. Click Register. The new application is created.

    5. In the new application screen, on the left menu pane click Manage > Certificates and secrets.

    6. In the Client Secrets tab, click + New Client Secret.

    7. Add the duration for the key.

    8. Click Add.

    9. Backup the key. You cannot look at the key later. Save it now.

After you create the application, write down these values to use in "Configure the Check Point Security Management Server" step.

  • Application ID

    client_id

  • Key value

    client_secret

  • Tenant ID

    directory (tenant) ID

Permissions:

Give the Azure Active Directory application a minimum role of Reader to the VMSS and the VNET as explained here.

Azure Controller (account) connects to these URLs:

  • AzureCloud

    • https://login.windows.net

    • https://management.azure.com

  • AzureChinaCloud

    • https://login.chinacloudapi.cn

    • https://management.chinacloudapi.cn

  • AzureUSGovernment

    • https://login.microsoftonline.us

    • https://management.usgovcloudapi.net

GCP

Create a Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Service Account

The Check Point Security Management Server uses the GCP Service account to monitor the creation and status of the autoscaling Managed Instance Group. This lets the Security Management Server complete provisioning of these Security Gateways.

To create a GCP service account:

  1. Go to https://cloud.google.com/iam/docs/creating-managing-service-accounts.

    Use these parameters:

    Name

    check-point-autoprovision

    Role

    Compute Engine \ Compute Viewer

  2. Click Create Key > JSON (as the key type). A JSON file is downloaded to your computer.

    Note - This JSON file is later used as the credentials file in CME Structure and Configurations.

Permissions:

"Compute viewer"

GCP Controller (account) connects to this URL:

https://www.googleapis.com/

Using the cme_menu Command Line Configuration Tool

  • The cme_menu is a command line-based menu to configure CME components and features.

  • To start the menu, run cme_menu when logged into Expert mode on the Security Management or Multi-Domain Security Management Server.

  • Use the instructions in this guide to configure the CME with the cme_menu as needed.

Using the autoprov_cfg Command Line Configuration Tool

  • The autoprov_cfg is a command-line tool to configure autoscaling solutions, such as Azure VMSS, AWS ASG, and GCP MIG.

  • Refer to the specific solutions administration guide for specific information about how to use autoprov_cfg.

  • For instructions about how to use the autoprov_cfg, run:

    autoprov_cfg -h

  • Commands summary:

    Command Description

    init

    Initialize auto-provision with Management, a Configuration Template, and a Controller (account) configuration

    show

    Show all or specific configuration settings

    add

    1. Add a new Configuration Template or a Controller

    2. Add a new configuration to the Management or to a Configuration Template or a Controller

    set

    Set values in an existing configuration of Management, Configuration Template or a Controller

    delete

    1. Remove a Configuration Template or a Controller

    2. Remove a configuration from the Management or from a Configuration Template or a Controller

    -v

    Show the version of CME

    -h

    Shows specific help documentation

    Important - If you have an existing configuration, running the autoprov_cfg init command will override it.

    To add one more auto-provisioned environment, use the autoprov_cfg add command instead of autoprov_cfg init.

  • Specific help documentation is available for each option that you select.

    For example, this command shows the available initialization parameters for AWS and their definition:

    autoprov_cfg init AWS -h

Schema

  1. Starting from CME Take 212, the CME configuration has a schema version.

  2. This attribute ensures that only compatible CME runs with the given CME configuration.

  3. CME does not run when the schema version in the CME configuration is not compatible.

  4. Example scenarios that can cause incompatibility:

    1. Revert to older CME Take.

    2. Upgrade - export configuration and importing it on a machine with an older CME Take.

    3. High Availability Management/Multi Domain servers where the CME on the two members is not from the same take.

  5. CME adds/updates a schema version parameter automatically and stores a backup of the previous configuration file in the autoprovision.json.bak_schema file.

  6. To show the current schema version value, look for the schema value in the CME configuration:

    autoprov_cfg show all

  7. This is a read-only parameter.

  8. This attribute ensures that only compatible CME runs with the given CME configuration.

Delay

  • The delay parameter sets the sleep time between CME iterations.

  • The default delay value is 30 seconds.

  • To see the current delay value, look for the delay value in the CME configuration:

    autoprov_cfg show all

  • To edit the delay configuration, run:

    autoprov_cfg set delay <NEW_TIME_IN_SEC>

Management

  • There is one Management configuration for CME.

  • The Management configuration applies to each controller and each template.

    To see the current Management configurations, run:

    autoprov_cfg show management

    To edit the management configurations, run:

    autoprov_cfg set management -h

Management Parameters

Parameter Value

Description

-mn

MANAGEMENT-NAME

The name of this CME management configuration.

This name must match the management name configured for each deployed scale set.

Note - This name is configurable and not related to CPM management name.

-d

DOMAIN:

The domain name or the domain UID that manage CME.

This parameter is mandatory for Multi-Domain Security Management Server environments when one domain manages CME.

If more than one domain manages CME, you must remove this parameter and configure it in the controller part, as explained below in the controller section.

-cs

SCRIPT FULL PATH

This parameter lets you set a custom script to execute on the Management Server in these scenarios:

  1. After the restrictive policy installation step (even if restrictive policy is skipped).

  2. After installing the policy specified in the Configuration Template.

  3. After removing a Security GatewayClosed Dedicated Check Point server that runs Check Point software to inspect traffic and enforce Security Policies for connected network resources..

In each of these scenarios, CME runs the script with different arguments, as listed in the table below:

Scenario Arguments

Example

Restrictive policy installation

delete <gateway name>

$FWDIR/conf/mgmt-script.sh delete cloudguard-gateway1

Configuration Template policy installation

add <gateway name>

$FWDIR/conf/mgmt-script.sh add cloudguard-gateway1

Security Gateway removal

delete <gateway name>

$FWDIR/conf/mgmt-script.sh delete cloudguard-gateway1

Notes:

  • CME expects to find the script in the $FWDIR/conf directory, for example: $FWDIR/conf/mgmt-script.sh.

  • The script must have only admin read permission. You can give this permission with the command: chmod 400 $FWDIR/conf/<script filename>

You can download an example of the Custom Management Script from here.

To add parameters to the script, see CUSTOM_PARAMETERS in Configuration Templates (gateway-configurations) > General Parameters.

Controllers (accounts)

  • To connect to your cloud account and automatically provision Security Gateways deployed in the account, the Security Management Server needs cloud-specific information, such as credentials and regions.

    This information is related to a controller in the CME configuration.

  • To see the current controllers used by the Management Server connected to the cloud environments, run:

    autoprov_cfg show controllers

  • To add a new controller to an existing CME configuration, run:

    autoprov_cfg add controller {AWS,Azure,GCP,NSX,Nutanix}

  • To show the command help message, run:

    autoprov_cfg add controller -h

Important:

  • We recommend changing the account's passwords regularly for security reasons.

  • Each controller in the configuration must have unique credentials, with the exception of the Multi-Domain Security Management Server configuration.

Controllers (accounts) - General Parameters

Parameter Value

Description

-cn

CONTROLLER-NAME

The name of the cloud environment controller. The name must be unique.

-dto

DELETION-TOLERANCE

The number of cycles until a Gateway object in SmartConsoleClosed Check Point GUI application used to manage a Check Point environment - configure Security Policies, configure devices, monitor products and events, install updates, and so on. is deleted.

-ct

CONTROLLER TEMPLATES

An optional list of templates that are linked to this specific controller.

This parameter is mandatory for Multi-Domain Security Management Server environments with more than one domain configured.

for example, TEMPLATE1-NAME TEMPLATE2-NAME

-cd

CONTROLLER DOMAIN

Specify the domain name or the domain UID that manages this controller.

This parameter is mandatory for Multi-Domain Security Management Server environments with more than one domain configured.

Controllers (accounts) - Parameters for AWS only

Parameter Value

Description

-r

REGIONS

A comma-separated list of AWS regions where the gateways are deployed. For example: eu-west-1,us-east-1,eu-central-1

-ak

AWS ACCESS KEY

AWS Access Key ID

-sk

AWS SECRET KEY

AWS Secret Key

-iam

-

Use this flag to specify if you use an IAM role profile

-fi

AWS CREDENTIALS FILE PATH

The path to a text file with the AWS credentials

-sr

STS ROLE

The STS Role ARN of a role to assume

-se

STS EXTERNAL ID

An optional STS External ID to use when assuming a role in the account

-sn

SUB-CREDENTIALS NAME

Sub account name. The name must be unique

-sak

AWS SUB-CREDENTIALS ACCESS KEY

AWS Access Key ID for the sub-account

-ssk

AWS SUB-CREDENTIALS SECRET KEY

AWS Secret Key for a sub-account

-sfi

AWS SUB-CREDENTIALS FILE PATH

The path to a text file containing AWS credentials

for a sub-account

-siam

-

Use this flag to specify whether to use an IAM role profile for a sub-account

-ssr

AWS SUB-CREDENTIALS STS ROLE

STS Role ARN of a role to assume for a sub-account

-sse

AWS SUB-CREDENTIALS STS EXTERNAL ID

An optional STS External ID to use when assuming a role in this sub-account

-com

COMMUNITIES

An optional comma-separated list of communities which are allowed for VPN connections that this controller discovers. If this attribute is missing or its value is an empty list, any community may be joined by VPN connections that belong to this controller.

This is useful to prevent an automatic addition of VPN connections to a community based on the customer gateway public IP address.

-sv

-

Use this flag to enable the auto-provisioning of VPN objects

-slb

-

Use this flag to enable the auto-provisioning of load balancer Access and NAT rules

-ss

-

Use this flag to enable scan subnets with Centralized GWLB solution

Controllers (accounts) - Parameters for Azure only

Parameter Value

Description

-sb

SUBSCRIPTION ID

The Azure subscription ID

-en

-

An optional attribute that specifies Azure's environment type.

The possible values are:

  • AzureCloud (default)

  • AzureChinaCloud

  • AzureUSGovernment

-at

TENANT ID

The Azure Active Directory tenant ID.

-aci

CLIENT ID

The service principal's client ID value.

-acs

CLIENT SECRET

The service principal's client secret value.

Controllers (accounts) - Parameters for NSX only

Parameter Value

Description

-nf

NSX FINGERPRINT

NSX-T manager fingerprint

-np

NSX MANAGER PASSWORD

NSX-T manager password

-nu

NSX MANAGER USERNAME

NSX-T manager username

-nh

NSX MANAGER HOST

NSX-T manager host IP

-nsm

NSX SERVICE MANAGER PASSWORD

NSX service manager password

-nad

NSX AD AUTH

NSX-T manager ad auth

Controllers (accounts) - Parameters for Nutanix only

Parameter Value

Description

-nf

NUTANIX PRISM FINGERPRINT

NutanixClosed Nutanix is a private and hybrid cloud software provider that offers software for virtualization, Kubernetes, database-as-a-service, software-defined networking, security, as well as software-defined storage for file, object, and block storage. Prism fingerprint

-np

NUTANIX PRISM PASSWORD

Nutanix Prism password

-nu

NUTANIX PRISM USERNAME

Nutanix Prism username

-nh

NUTANIX PRISM IP

Nutanix Prism IP

Controllers (accounts) - Parameters for GCP only

Parameter Value

Description

-proj

GCP-PROJECT

The GCP project ID of the project in which you deploy the CloudGuard Security Gateways. For example, "ACME-Production".

-cr

GCP-SERVICE-ACCOUNT-KEY

Full path to GCP Service Account key file. The file must be in $FWDIR/conf and only have admin read permissions.

For example, $FWDIR/conf/ACME-Production13cebb.json.

-crd

GCP-SERVICE-ACCOUNT-DATA

The content of GCP service account data encoded in base64.

Configuration Templates (gateway-configurations)

  • Information required to automatically provision Security Gateways, such as what policy to install and which Software Blades to enable, is placed in a configuration template in the CME configuration.

  • To see the current configuration templates that you can apply on Security Gateways, run:

    autoprov_cfg show templates

  • To add a new configuration template to an existing CME configuration, run the command:

    autoprov_cfg add template -tn <CONFIGURATION-TEMPLATE-NAME> -otp <SIC-KEY> -ver <VERSION> -po <POLICY-NAME>

Supported Configuration Template parameters

Parameter Value Description

-otp

ONE_TIME_PASSWORD

A random string with a minimum of 8 alphanumeric characters.

-ver

GATEWAY_VERSION

The Security Gateway version.

-po

POLICY_NAME

The name of an existing security policyClosed Collection of rules that control network traffic and enforce organization guidelines for data protection and access to resources with packet inspection. to install on the Security Gateways.

-rp

POLICY_NAME

An optional name of an existing security policy to install on the new Security Gateways as the first policy (required for the internal CME workflow).

When not provided, a default policy is used (It has a drop-all cleanup ruleClosed Set of traffic parameters and other conditions in a Rule Base (Security Policy) that cause specified actions to be taken for a communication session.).

Note: restrictive policy name ("-rp") cannot be the same as the policy name ("po").

See also Implied Rules and Restrictive Policy.

-cg

CUSTOM_GATEWAY_SCRIPT

A path of a script on the Management Server that is run on the Security Gateways after the policy installation.

You can add parameters to the script by separating them with spaces. The script must be located in the directory:

  • $FWDIR/conf on Security Management Server.

  • $FWDIR/conf of the Global Domain in Multi-Domain Security Management Server.

The directory must have only admin read permissions.

For example: '$FWDIR/conf/gw-script.sh param1 param2 ...'

Note: Use the single quotes in the command.

You can set one custom gateway script for each template.

If you configure Management Data Plane Separation (MDPS), ensure the script is compatible.

-cp

CUSTOM_PARAMETERS

A list of parameters separated by spaces for the Custom Management script.

For example: '$FWDIR/conf/mgmt-script.sh param1 param2 ...'

Note: Use the single quotes in the command.

For more details about the Custom Management Script, see Management Parameters.

-xff

-

Enable XFF headers in HTTP / HTTPS requests.

-g

GENERATION

String or number that you can use to force reapplying a template configuration to existing Security Gateways.

If generation is specified and its value is different from the previous value that was used for applying the template on a specific Security Gateway, then the template settings will be reapplied to the Security Gateway.

-secn

SECTION_NAME

Name of a rule section in the Access and NAT layers in the policy, where to insert the automatically generated rules.

See: (Optional) Automatic Rule Placement

-pn

PREFIX_NAME

See Configuring Name Prefix for Provisioned Gateways.

-nk

"KEY" "VALUE"

Configure other attributes to add to the Management API command "set-simple-gateway" (API v1.6).

For example: -nk "save-logs-locally" "true"
Parameter Value Description

-hi

-

Enable the HTTPS InspectionClosed Feature on a Security Gateway that inspects traffic encrypted by the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol for malware or suspicious patterns. Synonym: SSL Inspection. Acronyms: HTTPSI, HTTPSi.

-atp

-

Enable the Autonomous Threat Prevention

Important: Threat ExtractionClosed Check Point Software Blade on a Security Gateway that removes malicious content from files. Acronym: TEX. & Zero PhishingClosed Check Point Software Blade on a Security Gateway (R81.20 and higher) that provides real-time phishing prevention based on URLs. Acronym: ZPH. Threat Prevention blades are not supported, and therefore are inactivated in the Threat Prevention Global Exception rules.

Notes:

  • The minimum required version for Security Management Server or Multi Domain Server is R81.10.

  • The minimum required version for Security Gateways is R81.

For more details, refer to Autonomous Threat Prevention

-ia

-

Enable the Identity AwarenessClosed Check Point Software Blade on a Security Gateway that enforces network access and audits data based on network location, the identity of the user, and the identity of the computer. Acronym: IDA. to support CloudGuard ControllerClosed Provisions SDDC services as Virtual Data Centers that provide virtualized computer networking, storage, and security..

For more information on CloudGuard Controller, refer to R81.20 CloudGuard Controller Administration Guide.

-appi

-

Enable the Application ControlClosed Check Point Software Blade on a Security Gateway that allows granular control over specific web-enabled applications by using deep packet inspection. Acronym: APPI.

-ips

-

Enable the IPSClosed Check Point Software Blade on a Security Gateway that inspects and analyzes packets and data for numerous types of risks (Intrusion Prevention System).

-uf

-

Enable the URL FilteringClosed Check Point Software Blade on a Security Gateway that allows granular control over which web sites can be accessed by a given group of users, computers or networks. Acronym: URLF.

-ab

-

Enable the Anti-BotClosed Check Point Software Blade on a Security Gateway that blocks botnet behavior and communication to Command and Control (C&C) centers. Acronyms: AB, ABOT.

-av

-

Enable the Anti-VirusClosed Check Point Software Blade on a Security Gateway that uses real-time virus signatures and anomaly-based protections from ThreatCloud to detect and block malware at the Security Gateway before users are affected. Acronym: AV.

-te

-

Enable the Threat EmulationClosed Check Point Software Blade on a Security Gateway that monitors the behavior of files in a sandbox to determine whether or not they are malicious. Acronym: TE.

-vpn

-

Enable the IPsec VPNClosed Check Point Software Blade on a Security Gateway that provides a Site to Site VPN and Remote Access VPN access.

-ca

-

Enable the Content AwarenessClosed Check Point Software Blade on a Security Gateway that provides data visibility and enforcement. Acronym: CTNT.

-vd

VPN-DOMAIN

Configure the group object for the VPN domain in the VPN Gateway (with "vpn": true).

  • If you use this parameter with an empty value, the template automatically configures an empty group as the Encryption Domain.

  • If you do not use this parameter, the template automatically configures the Encryption Domain to IP addresses behind the VPN Gateways.

-con

COMMUNITY_NAME

Optional

Star community in which to place the VPN Gateway (with "vpn": true) as a center
Parameter Value Description

-sl

SEND_LOGS_TO_SERVER

A comma-separated list of Primary Log Servers names to send logs to. The configured Log ServerClosed Dedicated Check Point server that runs Check Point software to store and process logs. act as a Log and Alert Server.

-sbl

SEND_LOGS_TO_BACKUP_SERVER

A comma-separated list of Backup Log Servers names to send logs to if the Primary Log Servers are unavailable.

-sa

SEND_ALERTS_TO_SERVER

A comma-separated list of Alert Log Servers names to which to send alerts.

Notes:

  • As part of the Auto Scale instance provisioning cycle the install database action is executed on all defined Log Servers when:

    • CME Take 250 and higher is installed.

    • Log Server configurations were set in a template with CME Take 250 or higher.

  • To install the database for Log Server configurations that are set with CME Take lower than 250:

  • To use Log Server parameters, you must configure a minimum of one Primary Log Server (with the -sl parameter).

  • To remove all Primary Log Server(s), the Backup and Alert Log Servers must be removed first.

  • If Primary/Backup/Alert Log Servers are configured with the new key parameter (-nk) and with Log Servers parameters (-sl, -sbl, -sa), the new key parameter is ignored.

  • Log Server settings are not supported in the Smart-1 Cloud environment.

  • Scenario 1: Configure Primary, Backup and Alert Log Servers.

    autoprov_cfg set template -tn example-template_a -sl " PLS_1, PLS_2" -sbl " BLS_3" -sa "ALS_4"

    Where:

    • PLS_1 and PLS_2 are Primary Log Servers.

    • BLS_3 is a Backup Log Server.

    • ALS_4 is an Alert Log Server.

  • Scenario 2: Log Servers are configured as in the previous example. Then, you decide to configure an additional Backup Log Server – BLS_5.

    For these action, it is mandatory to reconfigure all Backup Log Servers:

    autoprov_cfg set template -tn example-template_a -sbl " BLS_3, BLS_5"

    Where:

    BLS_3 and BLS_5 are Backup Log Servers.

    New Log Server setting:

    • PLS_1 and PLS_2 are Primary Log Servers.

    • BLS_3 and BLS_5 are Backup Log Servers.

    • ALS_4 is an Alert Log Server.

  • Scenario 3: Log Servers are configured as in the previous example. Then, you decide to delete the Log Servers configuration:

    • Delete all Alert Servers:

      autoprov_cfg delete template -tn template -sa

    • Delete all Backup Log Servers:

      autoprov_cfg delete template -tn template -sbl

    • Delete all Primary Log Servers:

      autoprov_cfg delete template -tn template -sl

Note: If all Log Servers settings are removed, the default behavior is restored (Management Server/Domain Management Server acts as Primary Log Server).

Parameter Value Description

-aap

-

AWS Automatic Policy – creates simplified automatic security policy rules for these solutions:

  1. AWS Auto Scaling

  2. AWS Centralized Gateway Load Balancer

  3. AWS Transit Gateway

Note: The parameter has no effect when used in other solutions.

You can use the parameter only to create a new Configuration Template (set/delete is not supported).

-gtr

TGW_STATIC_ROUTES

Comma-separated list of CIDR networks.

For each CIDR network, a static route is created on each Security Gateway of the Transit Gateway Auto Scaling group.

-gsr

TGW_SPOKE_ROUTES

Comma-separated list of spoke CIDR networks.

Each spoke CIDR network that is learned from the Transit Gateway over BGP is advertised again by the Security Gateways of the Transit Gateway Auto Scaling group to the AWS Transit Gateway.

-vxr

TVPC_EXPORT_ROUTES

Comma-separated list of names.

Each name is for a BGP routemap that is also exported to the spokes.

The user has to create and manage this routemap on all Transit Gateways.

This routemap can contain any routes to export to the spoke.

For example, the route of a corporate network CIDR.

-vsr

TVPC_SPOKE_ROUTES

Name for a BGP routemap that contains all spoke CIDR networks.

This routemap is automatically created on the Transit Gateway and exported to the spokes, to allow all spoke-to-spoke traffic.

-dt

Supported values: TGW

The type of deployment of the CloudGuard Security Gateways.

-hc

HEALTH_CHECK_IP_RANGE

String with IP address 1 and IP address 2 that represents the range for the AWS gateway health checks, separated by comma. For example: "10.0.0.0,10.0.255.255"

-pp

proxy ports

An optional comma-separated list of proxy ports enabled on Auto Scale Group instances. For example: "8080,8443".
Parameter Value Description

-an

-

Enable the automatic NAT rule generation on Azure.

-v6

-

Enable IPv6 GaiaClosed Check Point security operating system that combines the strengths of both SecurePlatform and IPSO operating systems. support on Azure. For more information, refer to sk170760.

Configuring Name Prefix for Provisioned Gateways

By default, CME provisions the gateway objects using these naming conventions:

  • AWS:<CONTROLLER-NAME>--<AUTO-SCALING-GROUP-NAME>--<REGION-NAME>

  • Azure: <CONTROLLER-NAME>--<SCALE-SET-INSTANCE-NAME>--<RESOURCE-GROUP-NAME>

  • GCP: <CONTROLLER-NAME>--<MANAGED-INSTANCE-GROUP-NAME>

  • Nutanix: <CONTROLLER-NAME>--<VM-NAME>

  • NSX-T: <CONTROLLER-NAME>--<VM-NAME>

To add the template name as a name prefix (that comes before the controller name), run:

autoprov_cfg set template -tn <CONFIGURATION-TEMPLATE-NAME> -pn ""

To add a unique name as a name prefix (that comes before the controller name), run:

autoprov_cfg set template -tn <CONFIGURATION-TEMPLATE-NAME> -pn <UNIQUE-NAME-PREFIX>

Note - Currently, the Automatic HF deployment does not support name-prefix.

Configuring Network Group

CME automatically creates and updates a network group object with all the provisioned scale-set instances in the Security Management Server or Multi-Domain Security Management Server.

Network group object naming convention in the Security Management Server or Multi-Domain Security Management Server by cloud providers:

  • General: CME_<CONTROLLER-NAME>--<PLATFORM-UNIQUE-IDENTIFIER>

  • AWS: CME_<CONTROLLER-NAME>--<AUTO-SCALING-GROUP-NAME>--<REGION-NAME>

  • GCP: CME_<CONTROLLER-NAME>--<MANAGED-INSTANCE-GROUP-NAME>

  • Azure: CME_<CONTROLLER-NAME>--<SCALE-SET-NAME>--<RESOURCE-GROUP-NAME>

  • Nutanix: CME_<CONTROLLER-NAME>--<NETWORK-FUNCTION-PROVIDER>

  • NSX-T: CME_<CONTROLLER-NAME>--<REGISTERED-SERVICE-NAME>

Notes:

  • Long names:

    Because of object name restrictions in the Security Management Server, for Network group objects with Platform Unique Identifier larger than 150 characters, the CME replaces it with the hash (SHA256) of the Platform Unique Identifier.

    For example, in the Azure, the group name is:

    CME_<CONTROLLER-NAME>--< SCALE-SET-NAME-HASH-VALUE>

  • Object comment:

    The comment of the Network Group objects (for new objects starting CME Take 243) is the clear/full name of the Network Group object.

You can use the Network Group object in these policies and policy columns:

  • Access Control rule columns:

    • Source

    • Destination

    • Install On

  • NAT rule columns:

    • Original Source

    • Original Destination

Notes:

  • If you use an empty network group object (a scale set has 0 instances) in Access Policy ("Install On" column), policy installation will fail.

  • CME creates only one unique network group object for each scale set.

Default-features

Default-features is a section in the CME configuration. It contains Configuration Template attributes, which are enabled automatically for each new Configuration Template.

Default-features section:

  • Initializing CME with autoprov_cfg init creates/copies the Default-features section based on:

    • If there is no CME configuration on this server, the Default-features section is being created with the latest available Default features.

    • If there is a CME configuration on the server, the Default-features section is copied (if it exists) from the former configuration.

  • To see the existing Default-features, look for the Default-features value in the CME configuration:

    autoprov_cfg show all

New template creation:

When you create a new Configuration Template, if the Default-features section exists, its attributes are automatically added to the template (without specifying its attributes in the command).

Note - If an attribute has version limitations, it is added automatically only if the template's versions is applicable for the attribute.

To see the existing configuration template, run:

autoprov_cfg show template -tn <TEMPLATE NAME>

Enabling and Disabling Software Blades

See Supported Configuration Template parameters for parameter information.

Step

Instructions

1

Connect to the command line on the Security Management Server.

2

Log in to the Expert mode.

3

Enable the Software Blades:

To enable one Software Blade at a time, run:

autoprov_cfg set template -tn "<CONFIGURATION-TEMPLATE-NAME>" -<SOFTWARE-BLADE-NAME>

Example:

autoprov_cfg set template -tn "my-configuration-template" -ips

To enable multiple Software Blades at a time, run:

autoprov_cfg set template -tn "<CONFIGURATION-TEMPLATE-NAME>" -<SOFTWARE-BLADE-NAME-1> -<SOFTWARE-BLADE-NAME-2> ... -<SOFTWARE-BLADE-NAME-N>

Example:

autoprov_cfg set template -tn "my-configuration-template" -ips -uf -hi

Step

Instructions

1

Connect to the command line on the Security Management Server.

2

Log in to the Expert mode.

3

Enable the Software Blades:

To enable one Software Blade at a time, run:

autoprov_cfg delete template -tn "<CONFIGURATION-TEMPLATE-NAME>" -<SOFTWARE-BLADE-NAME>

Example:

autoprov_cfg delete template -tn "my-configuration-template" -ips

To enable multiple Software Blades at a time, run:

autoprov_cfg delete template -tn "<CONFIGURATION-TEMPLATE-NAME>" -<SOFTWARE-BLADE-NAME-1> -<SOFTWARE-BLADE-NAME-2> ... -<SOFTWARE-BLADE-NAME-N>

Example:

autoprov_cfg delete template -tn "my-configuration-template" -ips -uf -hi

Step

Instructions

1

From the left navigation panel, click Gateways & Servers.

2

Double-click the Security Gateway object.

3

4

Click OK.

5

Install the applicable policy on the Security Gateway.

Autonomous Threat Prevention

Autonomous Threat Prevention is an innovative Threat Prevention management model. For more details, refer to the Threat Prevention Administration Guide for your version.

Auto Scaling instances do not support Threat Extraction and Zero Phishing software blades. Therefore, when enabling Autonomous Threat Prevention in CME, Zero-Phishing and Threat Extraction blades are inactivated in the Threat Prevention Global Exception rules.

CME API

With CME Management API you can configure the CME tool.

For more information, see the CME API SwaggerHub documentation.

Prerequisites:

  • CME Take 139 or higher installed on the Check Point Management Server.

  • Management API version 1.8 or higher installed on the Check Point Management Server (see the Check Point Management API Reference).

Configuring Identity Sharing

Identity Sharing lets Identity Awareness Security Gateways configured as Policy Decision Points (PDPs) retrieve identity information and share it with other Security Gateways acting as Policy Enforcement Points (PEPs). This feature reduces load on identity sources and enhances system performance.

Examples of Identity Sharing topologies:

Configuring Identity Sharing with the CME API

Starting from CME API v1.2.2, you can set up Identity Sharing for the Auto Scaling instances to let them receive identities from configured PDP Security Gateways. This feature is part of the Identity Awareness settings.

Prerequisites:

  • Set up static Identity Awareness Security Gateways as PDPs to share identities. For more information, see the Identity Sharing documentation.

  • Configure Auto Scaling instances template to receive identities from those PDP Security Gateways.

  • Make sure the PDP Security Gateways and Auto Scaling Security Gateway instances exist in the same domain for Multi-Domain Security Management deployments.

API Documentation:

To configure Identity Sharing with the CME API:

Send a POST request:

POST https://<Management_IP_address>/web_api/v1.8/cme-api/v1.2.2/gwConfigurations/<azure/gcp/aws>

Request body parameters for Identity Sharing:

Object

Description

blades

A container object that holds blades configuration parameters.


Parameter Name

Description

identity-awareness

Enable or disable the Identity Awareness blade.

identity_awareness_settings

A container object that holds configuration parameters of the Identity Awareness blade.


Parameter Name

Description

enable_cloudguard_controller

Enable or disable the Web API identity source for the CloudGuard Controller.

receive_identities_from

A list of PDP Security Gateway names from which to receive identities through Identity Sharing.

Note - Enabling the Identity Awareness blade without setting the Identity Awareness Settings automatically enables the Web API identity source for the CloudGuard Controller (enable_cloudguard_controller parameter value is set to true).

Example:

POST request:

URL: POST https://<Management_IP_address>/web_api/v1.8/cme-api/v1.2.2/gwConfigurations/<azure/gcp/aws>

 

Body:

{

    "name": "gwConfigurationExample",

    "base64_sic_key": "MTIzNDU2Nzg=",

    "version": "R81.20",

    "policy": "Standard",

    "blades": {"identity-awareness": true},

    "identity_awareness_settings": {

         "enable_cloudguard_controller": false,

         "receive_identities_from": ["PDP_GW1", "PDP_GW2"]

    },

    "related_account": "accountNameExample"

}

Configuring the tgw_menu

The Transit Gateway menu is a command-line based menu to configure the AWS Transit Gateway solution.

For more information, see the CloudGuard Network for AWS Transit Gateway R80.20 and Higher Deployment Guide.

Implied Rules and Restrictive Policy

A restrictive access policy package has only a drop-all cleanup rule. During Security Gateway provisioning cycle (scale out), CME can first install a restrictive policy package to prevent Security Gateway from answering load balancer's health probes.

  • CME Take 250 and higher:

    Azure:

    Gateway version

    Load Balancer

    Gateway Load Balancer

    Application Gateway

    All versions

    SKIP

    SKIP

    INSTALL

    AWS:

    Gateway version

    Network Load Balancer

    Gateway Load Balancer

    Application Load Balancer

    R81.10 and higher

    SKIP

    SKIP

    INSTALL

    R81 and lower

    INSTALL

    SKIP

    INSTALL

    GCP

    Gateway version

    All Load Balancer types

    R81.10 and higher

    SKIP

    R81 and lower

    INSTALL

    Private Cloud Vendors (NSX-T, Nutanix): CME installs restrictive policy on all solutions.

  • CME Take 250 and lower:

    CME always installs restrictive policy.

For CME Takes lower than 250, if the Implied Rules are disabled, it is required to configure a custom restrictive policy package and to set it in the Configuration Template.

For more details, see:

If it is necessary to use the Multi-Domain ServerClosed Dedicated Check Point server that runs Check Point software to host virtual Security Management Servers called Domain Management Servers. Synonym: Multi-Domain Security Management Server. Acronym: MDS. Global Policy together with automatic provisioning, see Global Policy on a Multi-Domain Server.

Objects Banner

Starting from CME Take 252, objects created by CME have a warning banner.

To show the warning banner, CME creates and attaches a tag to objects.

Example of a warning banner for a host object created by CME: